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Published November 10, 2000 | public
Journal Article

African Hot Spot Volcanism: Small-Scale Convection in the Upper Mantle Beneath Cratons

Abstract

Numerical models demonstrate that small-scale convection develops in the upper mantle beneath the transition of thick cratonic lithosphere and thin oceanic lithosphere. These models explain the location and geochemical characteristics of intraplate volcanos on the African and South American plates. They also explain the presence of relatively high seismic shear wave velocities (cold downwellings) in the mantle transition zone beneath the western margin of African cratons and the eastern margin of South American cratons. Small-scale, edge-driven convection is an alternative to plumes for explaining intraplate African and South American hot spot volcanism, and small-scale convection is consistent with mantle downwellings beneath the African and South American lithosphere.

Additional Information

© 2000 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Received 19 July 2000; accepted 11 October 2000. This research is funded by NSF. S.D.K. acknowledges support from NSF grants EAR-9726013 and EAR-9903002. This report is contribution number 8716 of the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 18, 2023